The Andersons Go to Washington

Kevin unexpectedly lost his job in the middle of March so we decided to take that opportunity to travel up to Washington to visit family. It had been over a year since we had been and we were really excited about it. It is a two day drive, but luckily Kevin's brother's family lives about halfway through and we were able to stop and spend the night with them. The girls did surprisingly well for being in the car for two days.

We were in Bremerton for a little over a week. We spent a lot of time at parks and just hanging out with family. It was so nice to relax and get away for a while. Wish we lived closer so we could spend more time with them.  

Here are a few pics from our trip.

Scarlett meeting cousin Naomi in Idaho.

Our happy traveler. She did so well!

Eleanor had a harder time, but at least she took a nap.

Playing with cousins. Jeffrey is about eight months younger, but about as tall.

Little Nathan loved Scarlett. In his words "I just love her!"

Kevin's brother Brian happen to be in town for work and he got to meet the girls finally. His amazing wife made this incredible quilt for Scarlett. Love it!

The Anderson boys that were in town.

Cute cousins!

Fun at the park. Don't mind the photo bomber.

Found a new friend while at Castle Park.

Ellie biffed it and scraped her chin pretty bad while playing at her cousins' house. She was pretty excited to wear a "Cars ban ban".

Went to an indoor play center with cousin Jake. They had a blast.

Pizza at Spiros. 

Aunt Tania gave Eleanor a "princess" braid that she loved.

Jake was pretty cute with Scarlett.

Aunt Tania and Jake put together an amazing car traveling kit for Eleanor. She was beyond excited about it. This was about 15 mins before she puked all over herself. 

Eleanor's First Dance Class

Ellie started a creative dance/tumbling class at the beginning of the month and she kind of likes it. I expected her to be into it more, but I'm sure she will once she gets more comfortable.

My Mornings

I seriously love my little girls. They are pretty happy in the morning and I love just hanging out in bed with them.

My Valentines

I love Valentine's Day! What's not to love about showing your loved ones how much you love them. The house is decorated in pink and red and just makes me happy. 

Scarlett had her four month appointment in the morning, but after that the girls and I met Kevin for lunch. We came with balloons and peanut butter M&Ms. 

Kevin picked up Texas Roadhouse for dinner and we had a quiet evening at home. We watched Weird Al music videos and just laughed. 

Kevin tried to get me some Sees candy, but they were out the chocolate that I like, so he got me a gift card instead. Kevin got a gift card to Starbucks and some more candy. Ellie painted a canvas for him that says Love.

I went a little overboard with stuff for the girls, but I just love them so much.

And it was Scarlett's First Valentine's Day!

Christmas 2013

I am months behind on this, but better late than never. Christmas was a pretty low key event for us. It was nice to not worry about traveling and just enjoy our little family.

Christmas Eve we made "Christmas Trees" that were a big hit with Eleanor.

The girls then opened their gifts from mom and dad: pajamas of course!

Then we read The Night Before Christmas and Luke 2 and off Eleanor went to bed. 

I don't think I have ever been so excited for Christmas morning! 

The girls slept in late and I finally had to wake them up at 10 am, Kevin too. It was so much fun to see Eleanor's reaction to everything. Christmas really is better with kids!

Apparently I didn't take any pictures of the girls opening their other presents, but they got some great stuff.

I also got some great presents. Kevin spoiled me once again.

Kevin's big gift was a boat trip with his dad and brothers this summer. He is really excited.

We finished the day by taking a trip up to my aunt and uncle's house for a wonderful Christmas dinner.

Going for the Gold

We were pretty excited for the Olympics this year. Kevin served his mission in Russia, so he was really looking forward to the Opening Ceremonies. I heard about a free party going on in Provo for the Opening Ceremonies and we decided to go. It was actually a lot of fun. They had some crafts for the kids, free drinks and treats and two Olympic Gold Medalists doing meet and greets. 

Scarlett's gold medal that she kept trying to eat.

Eleanor watching the Opening Ceremonies.

Posing with Derek Parra. Eleanor got to wear his gold medal. He was so nice.

Eleanor giving Derek a high five.

This one is blurry, but we also got to meet Chad Hedrick. 

I am so glad we got to make some fun memories!

Eleanor Turns Two

Our beautiful Eleanor Ann turned two years old on the 11th. Where did the last two years go? 

We kept the celebration simple this year. She woke up to streamers in her doorway, which she loved and ran through over and over again. She spotted her wrapped gifts as soon as she came downstairs and insisted that she open them right away. We got her a lot of clothes,m; she was less than enthused. She did get some fun toys though. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures while she was opening her gifts. 

For breakfast I attempted to make Mickey Mouse pancakes. I was just happy Eleanor recognized them as such. 

She spent most of the morning/ early afternoon playing with her new toys. After nap time we FaceTimed with family then headed to the mall. Kevin turned Ellie's car seat around while she was napping, so this was her first car ride facing forward. She loved it.

Our first stop was Build-a-Bear. Eleanor picked out a princess bear, of course. 

Scarlett couldn't be left out, so she got a bear too.

Then we hit the Disney store next door. Eleanor proceeded to pull all the Princess dolls she wanted and piled them by Kevin. Wishful thinking. She ended up with a couple of nightgowns and a Minnie and Mickey car playmat. 

Then it was dinner time at Pizza Pie Cafe because Ellie loves pizza. 

We finally headed home for cake and ice cream. Ellie loves cupcakes, so I decided to make her a giant one. She was beyond excited to eat it.

We had so much fun celebrating our precious girl. She has brought so much light into our lives with her fun personality and energy. I am so happy and proud to be her momma.